This invention relates generally to swimming pools, and more particularly to an improved rope anchor for use therewith.
In swimming pools, the hooked ends of the lane markers and other rope-like devices are attached to rope anchors. The rope anchors which are currently in use or which are otherwise known to have been developed previously are generally deficient, primarily because of the difficulty and expense involved in their initial installation and/or subsequent repair. These problems are particularly characteristic of, although not limited to, rope anchors designed to be embedded in masonry pool walls. An example of this type of rope anchor is provided by the disclosure in U.S. Pat. No. 3,065,576 (Prizler, et al).
Such rope anchors must be installed by masons or other skilled construction personnel which in and of itself makes their use expensive. Moreover, should the rope anchors become damaged after installation, an occurrence which is not unusual, particularly in large pool installations, then their repair or replacement becomes even more time consuming and expensive. This is due to the fact that the masonry in which the anchors are embedded must first be chipped away and then replaced after the anchor itself has been either repaired or replaced.
Another problem with known rope anchors is that they undergo extensive damage when they are subjected to excessive forces, as for example when a number of pool occupants sit or jump on a lane marker. Such extensive damage frequently requires that the entire rope anchor be replaced. The expense involved in making such replacements can be quite high, particularly when the rope anchors are fabricated of corrosive resistant metal such as stainless steel.
It is, accordingly, a general object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved rope anchor which either obviates or at the very least substantially minimizes all of the problems mentioned above.
A more specific object of the present invention is the provision of a rope anchor which is adapted to be easily and quickly mounted in place without the need of skilled tradesmen, and which is further adapted to be easily and quickly dismantled in the event that repairs become necessary.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a rope anchor, the major component of which comprises a molded one-piece non-metallic body which is not susceptible to damage by the exertion of excessive force on a lane marker or other rope-like device connected to the anchor.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a rope anchor having an anchor link which is movable between an operative readily accessible position protruding partially into the pool, and an inoperative position fully retracted into the anchor body, the latter having a front flange lying flush against the wall supporting the rope anchor.